After posting my last piece here I leave, stay out for almost three days, & when I come back there's more of you!

24 followers now?...almost twice as many as the last time I checked. Where did y'all come from so quick?? How many of you are human & not bots? If you're human, please leave a comment...I like having a sense of who's behind a screen name.

For those of you who just signed on: Welcome. Sit down, take a load off, have a drink of whatever you like. I don't have any hard stuff in the cabinet but I do keep some good wines around at all times. There's also coffee if you like having the jitters. Right now I only have one piece in my portfolio, namely In the Catacombs. I intend to add at least one more piece this year, two if I can get away with it. If you're into saccharine cartoons, furries & other cute stuff then you may not like it here, as I tend to focus on memento mori & philosophical pessimism. When I'm not doing any of that I'm building canes out of various hardwoods, stainless steel tubing &/or other materials as needed. I'm also a dyed-in-the-wool traditionalist (the only digital stuff I do is editing pieces I already made) so don't expect the bright, crisp, slick aesthetic so typical of online art these days.

Of my "Playlists" (digital file folders), for some reason Newgrounders seem to like

the most. Why that is, I don't know. Personally I'm rather proud of some of my

...one thing I can tell you: it's unusual. You will not find too many other lettering guys on NG. I use it as a design element, more than anything else.

Feel free to explore my gallery here or the playlists. If you wanna leave a comment on my work, go ahead but I would appreciate it if you explain your position. Saying "this is awesome!" or "this sucks" doesn't tell me a lot. If you can say why you think the piece is great or why it sucks, I'm much more likely to seriously consider your comments.

I see a couple of you like the sketch of Yorick Jr. That's good, but the one portfolio piece I've posted here so far is better...at least in my book:

Had to post that because as the portfolio "playlist" doesn't show up on the list here, it's possible that you might've missed it. You should also check out Go Small... because that one ain't bad, either:

Aside from that, there ain't much else to report at the moment. Stocks are still going gangbusters but I'm wondering when the bull run will end...precious metals are doing fairly well. Am going through allergy season right now but that's not news...it's going lightly so far. Hopefully it stays that way. When everything gets dusted with that powdered yellow poison, it's not good for anyone.

Check this out:

Source: investing.com app

The number in white was the price in $/oz. as of Jan 18th, this year. Now look at where it was prior to 1979 & in the very early 2000's. Interesting, isn't it?

Precious metals are like "blue chip" stocks: their worth goes up & down on any given day or week or month, but in the long run they always gain in value. It has ever been so, long before the United States (or most modern nations!) existed.

Don't put all your money in gold, of course. Or in silver or any other metal. Precious metals are an asset to help with diversification, part of a well-rounded nest egg. A lot of millennials, zoomers & Alpha kids like crypto, which is fine if you know what you're doing. But don't count out "tradfi" assets like stocks...or precious metals. Gold & silver are safe havens in economic downturns. They've served that purpose ever since the advent of modern economies. Precious metals are also a hedge against inflation...always a concern with nation-based fiat currencies. Gold & silver (& copper) were the first real currencies; for much of human history they were the only currencies. They can still function as such if our modern networked infrastructure ever fails temporarily or permanently...an unlikely event but not an impossible one.

Of course technology has changed the game, even as markets & money act like they always have. Now there's platinum, palladium & more exotic metals out there. These days you don't have to hold metal itself if space &/or security are an issue; gold-backed ETFs exist & function in every major market in the West. You can also buy & sell shares of physical gold inside vaults in secure locations...they function like a stock, but they represent ownership of a percentage of a gold ingot instead of in a publicly held corporation. Exchanges for those are currently limited but, if you like trading, gold shares are an option.

Full disclosure: I am not a certified financial advisor; however, I've been an investor for over two decades now & actively manage some of my own assets. I check market activity on the daily & sometimes research investment-related/financial subjects. Recently I've started studying more esoteric topics such as Elliott Wave theory.

Thank you, @TomFulp.

I couldn't get in here for, what...about two weeks now. Had to make a second account just to get help since the support dept didn't respond to my e-mail. Now I have two accounts here, but if I read the rules correctly then having duplicate accounts is not kosher. So if our founder tells me to, I will deactivate the backup (@ShadeReloaded).

If he does not direct me to shut it down, then the question arises: what to do with the other account?

For that, all I've thought of is keeping any NSFW/adult stuff I make in that account, & reserving this one for other pieces...that is, for art I actually like to make. Frankly I find NSFW stuff boring at best, & crass & disgusting at worst. But if you want views then you gotta give the public what it likes. C'est la vie. All this is, of course, null & void if I must pull the plug on the other account.

So what's new with y'all?

I do hope it goes better than 2023, though I can't complain too much since the markets did better than expected overall. Enjoy the fast-n-messy hand lettering.

The infection is going away gradually. Muhammad on a tricycle, it's about fucking time. Early in November I caught a cold; then I ended 2023 with a bacterial infection in my sinuses. That wasn't the first one I've had, either. Cultivating microbes is truly my most unrecognized talent...now if only someone would pay me for it. If bacteria & viruses were profitable, my investment portfolio would be at least 20% larger than it is.

Here's some tips from the voice of experience: If you're sick, rest as much as you can. Drink tea...any kind will do. Shavings of ginger root in the water you boil to make the tea with helps reduce congestion & other symptoms. Squeeze the juice from a lemon slice or two into the cup, then throw the slice(s) in. Citrus has vitamin C in it & is good for you generally. Also, make sure you get protein in your diet. You don't need a ton of meat or to eat enough to freak out a cardiologist, just a few ounces every other day will work. And for the FSM's sake drink plenty of water--dehydration is bad enough when you're well; when you're under the weather it will mess you up. Do these things & you'll recover more quickly. You might even save yourself a trip to your GP's office.

Anyway, now that I have a bit more energy I'm working again...here & there. The sketch below was quick, with a flat nib made from a bamboo chopstick.

...still need more sleep.

In even better news in my world, there's this:

The title is self-explanatory.

All creative activity is on hold until I feel better.

Am making use of what ginger root I have left...that should help.

If you learned about it from news reports from Oct. 7th onward, you should know that this conflict did not start then. The current battle is part of a longer war. Just when the war began depends on who you ask...

Pro-Pal antizionists (& antisemites who use antizionism as a cover) claim it began in 1948 when those nasty European settler-colonialist Jews expelled the Palestinians. Most pro-Israel folk & history geeks like myself, will tell you the modern phase of the conflict began in the 1880's when Zionist movements emerged in response to persecution of Europe's Jews, particularly in France & Russia. (Some of us will also inform you that the 1948 War of Independence & the events that led to it are way more complex than "evil white bastards killed & kicked out innocent Arabs", but that's a whole 'nuther discussion)

In a wider sense, though, even the late 19th century is not a sufficient starting point. Israel, & the Levantine region, are in an unusually unfortunate location: between Europe, Africa & (Western) Asia. Several trade routes went through it; it is also not far from the Fertile Crescent--the birthplace of almost every non-Chinese empire prior to that of Rome. Because of that, well...

If you want a more historically conscious perspective, start with this:

This Land Is Mine

It doesn't give you a complete answer, but it is a good start.

I started the 9th cane build a while ago. A lonnnggg while ago. I got so much done on it then put it aside because, as we all know, life is fuckin' distracting at times. Doing other art stuff doesn't help my concentration, either... No wonder I was diagnosed with a "short attention span" when I was a kid.

Only by the merciful FSM no pharmaceutical firm had invented Ritalin before I was born. Who knows how I would've turned out if I'd been forced to take it while my brain was still growing.

Anyway, I finally got back to it last week. A few snapshots of the tip:

You can't see it here but I already put the endcap on. If the weather holds at least one day this week, I'll get more of it done. Aside from shaping the handle a bit, all that's left is a lot of sanding & then the finish.

So I'm making art again... Not every day. I try to put in some time at least twice a week, more often if my schedule & body permits it.

Uploaded something a few days ago if you haven't seen it:

Brush lettering is inherently crude but with some digital editing--& if I do it right--the result is something worthy of posting. I'll have to do a few more of those...

Lettering by hand is old-school AF. But that's me...in this modern high-tech era, I'm not a dinosaur. I am a trilobite.

Still need to do a few boat illos, & of course some eye candy. The latter is the only kinda stuff that draws attention these days.